7 Day Cavalcade in Essaouira's Heart Horse Riding Tour in Morocco

This trail is only open to intermediate and experienced riders, beginners are not allowed. The cavalcade in Morocco starts and ends in Essaouira. Horse treks are usually recommended for intermediate and experienced riders. Beginners are welcome on Zouina Cheval's short treks but the longer riding holidays should be avoided due to the related physical fatigue. If you are a beginner and would like to experience horse trekking, you are recommended to start gently with a two-day and one-night trek. To take full advantage of your trek, you must be reasonably fit and in good health.

To avoid irritations such as chafing, blisters, and bruising, you are recommended to get in the saddle regularly in the weeks leading up to your trek and that you wear good quality riding jodhpurs. Children are welcome but they must be accompanied and supervised at all times by a parent or guardian. They must be over 14 years of age and good riders and also must be capable of spending long hours in the saddle. Zouina Cheval reminds you that helmets are obligatory and are provided on-site. You will like:

• A highly diversified and quite technical horse trail
• The tough and gentle Arab-barb horses
• A discovery of the hinterland and small traditional Berber villages and a ride along the Atlantic coast with cliffs, deep gorges and valleys, dunes, cascades, dams, small fishermen villages, and long beaches
• Canter on the long deserted beaches

Daily itinerary

Day 1

Arrival at Essaouira or Marrakesh airport and transfer to your riad in Essaouira for your overnight stay (20 minutes or 2 hours 45 minutes’ drive, respectively). Enjoy dinner (not included) with your fellow riders and discuss the trail ahead. Overnight at the riad.

Day 2

After breakfast, meet at 9:30 a.m. in the riad and transfer to Diabat (15 minutes’ drive). Meet the staff and have your first contact with the horses before departure. You will follow the Ksob Oued River, surrounded by abundant vegetation, and head toward the village of El Ghazoua, which you will cross. You will then reach the largest forest of argan trees in the area, which extends from Essaouira to Agadir. Picnic on the riverbank in the shade of argan trees. After some rest, you will continue across the forest and go up and down small mountains—being careful not to step on the turtles! You will then head toward Ida Ou Gourd, passing traditional Berber houses and fields. After a gallop along the paths, you will arrive at our camp (bivouac), located near the ruins of an old sugar factory made from mud and straw. Dinner and overnight in a tent.

Day 3

In the morning, you will cross a small village and take broad paths bordered by argan trees and fields. Depending on the season, you may see plowing still carried out with donkeys and cows. You will arrive in a charming valley and take a path to ascend a small mountain. Lunch will be served atop the mountain with a beautiful view of the valley. In the afternoon, you will cross a mountainous area and a splendid plateau with many fields and crops. Heading toward Neknafa, you will ride along the Zerrar Dam and its lake, surrounded by lush vegetation. Your final stop will be in Aïntizeril, where our bivouac is located.

Day 4

Early wake-up, as this will be the longest day on horseback of the week! In the morning, you will climb a mountain, passing through a riverbed and visiting a marabout—a small Berber village located on the top of a mountain, famous for its marabouts and traditional healers. You will then walk and gallop along paths bordered by fields. A short descent will take us down the mountain. After a final gallop along a path, you will arrive at a small village with a spring where the horses can drink during lunchtime. In the afternoon, you will alternate between gorges, canyons, and fields as you head toward Argana, where our bivouac is located. Visit a women’s argan oil cooperative to learn about the production process and speak with the women there.

Day 5

In the morning, you will cross a small Berber village and then a plateau located between small hills along the coast. After descending into a small valley, you will reach “the source,” where you will have lunch with the team. After lunch, you will ride through fields and along scenic paths toward the cascades of Sidi Embark, which flow into the sea. Then, you will follow the stunning deserted beaches and vast sand dunes, enjoying long gallops. You will pass through a small fishing village before arriving at camp in the early afternoon, located on one of the beaches near the village of Sidi Kaouki. If the weather is good, there will be an opportunity to swim with the horses or on your own. Overnight in a tent.

Day 6

After breakfast by the sea, you will return toward Diabat, riding along the beaches. You will pass the small lighthouse of Cap Sim before crossing dunes and a forest of eucalyptus and mimosa trees. Arrival in Diabat will be in the late afternoon, passing by the ruins of the Sultan’s palace. Transfer to the riad in Essaouira. Dinner not included. Overnight at the riad.

Day 7

Meet at the riad and transfer to Essaouira (20 minutes) or Marrakesh (2 hours 45 minutes) airport.

Horses

All of Zouina Cheval's horses are Arab Barbs perfectly adapted for the Moroccan paths. They are surefooted and at ease on both the beaches of the Atlantic coast or the narrow, steep paths of the Atlas. The Arab-Barbs are gentle by nature and wish to be neither beaten nor threatened, they prefer to be ridden with care and respect. The horses are not castrated following the Islamic religion.

The stallions all have their character but are nevertheless gentle and adapt their behavior according to each rider and are very docile with children and beginners; it’s a pleasure to ride them. The stables, located in Diabat, three kilometers from Essaouira, are a pleasant and welcoming environment for your comfort and that of the horses. All the horses are in individual spacious stalls, well-sheltered from the sun and wind, allowing them to relax between two rides.